Combined door and ladder in the side of a craft



July 3, 1951 MORENO HAL 2,558,975

COMBINED DOOR AND LADDER IN THE SIDE OF A CRAFT Filed June 2, 1948 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors ANTHONY MORENO CYRIL. L. FENN y 1951 A. J.MORENO ETAL 2, 58,975

' COMBINED DbOR AND LADDER IN THE SIDE OF A CRAFT Filed June 2, 1948 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors ANTHONY MORENO CYRIL L. FENN FIG. 3.

AHBThey COMBINED DOOR ND LADDER IN .THE SIDE .OF A CRAFT Filed June 2,1948 July 3, 1951 A. J. MORENO ETAL 4 Sheets-Shea 5 FIG. 5.

Inventors ANTHONY MORENY CYRIL L. FENN y 1951 A. J. MORENO ETAL2,558,975

. COMBINED DOOR AND LADDER IN THE SIDE OF A CRAFT Filed June 2, 1948 Q 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventors} 32 ANTHONY MORENO CYRIL L. FEN N FIG. 6-

5 I v v Patented July 3, 1951 COMBINED DOOR AND LADDER IN THE SIDE OF ACRAFT Anthony J. Moreno, Elmhurst, and Cyril L. Fenn, Flushing, N. Y.,assignors to Edo Corporation, a corporation of New York Application June2, 1948, Serial No. 30,644 Claims; (01. 114-65) This invention relatesto retractable ladders adapted for use in vehicles, by which term weinclude land conveyances, vessels and small boats, and aircraft.

The object of our invention is to provide a ladder which may be let downeither by persons outside the vehicle, or, if desired, from within.

It is also an object to provide a ladder which when not in use can beretracted into the side or bottom of the vehicle in such a manner as toeffect a streamlining of the hull of the vehicle at the place where theladder is retracted.

Our ladder is particularly useful in life boats which are launchedwithout occupants from aircraft to rescue survivors of a ship or airaccident floundering in the water and who have been located by airsearch. The invention is also adapted for installation in large militaryairliners or bombers having fuselages which are high off the ground, forboarding them in the event that external portable ladders or ramps arenot available.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of our invention installedin a lifeboat and shown in open or boarding position.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the door closed within the boat hull, theladder being retracted therein, the view also showing the location ofthe elements of the release mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a complete lifeboat, also showing ourinvention in open or boarding position.

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the release mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly in section, taken on the line 55 of Fig.2, of the release spring plunger.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the ladder inretracted position taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of part of one of theladder sides showing particularly the hinge mechanism in open position;Fig. 7a shows the same hinge mechanism where the element 22 has beenmoved slightly from open toward folded position with plate 2|a removed.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the tubular hinge junction shown in Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the basic tubular members as would appearif seen through the door from the outside.

Fig. 10 is a view, partly in section, taken on the line Ill-I0 of Fig.9.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line of Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 1, a rectangular opening having an inside skin wallIla is provided in the side of the boats hull l2, and a skin section I?is made to fit into and cover the opening, functioning as a door. Whenthis door I3 is closed, the smooth contour of the side of the boat I2 isunbroken. A backing 3a is secured to the inside of door [3 to make itsturdy and to support the elements fixed thereto as will be described.The lower edge M of the door l3 (in closed position) is appropriatelyhinged at I5 and I5 to permit the door to be swung open from the top anddown to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 through an arc of about 170,although the precise angle is not critical. On the inside of the door I3are secured, by bracket plates I! (Fig. 6), two vertical tubular membersl8, l9 (Figs. 1, 6 and 9), each extending almost the full height of thedoor. Tubular rungs 2!], 2| are joined to members |8, |9 at spacedintervals. These rungs 20, 2| serve as braces and also as steps. Thevertical members and rungs thus secured constitute the upper section ofthe ladder.

Tubular extension members 22, 23 designed to lay parallel to and withinmembers I8, I9 when the ladder is in retracted position, are hinged atIBa, |9a respectively inside the lower (in open position) extremities ofmembers 8, I9. Figs. '7, 7a, 8 and 9 illustrate the detail of ourpreferred hinge construction, and its operation which is as follows:Near each of the junctures of tubular rung 2| with the vertical membersI8, l9, we provide a plate 2|a fixed to rung 2| and receiving a pin I31) on which is pivoted lug I protruding from and fixed to the end ofeach member 22, 23. The extremity of each member 22, 23 is arcuately cutat |8d (Figs. '7, 7a) to fit the surface of the rung 2|. Thus, members22, 23 pivot about the pin l8b, itself so located with respect to rung2| as to permit complete clearance thereof by the members when swungfrom their folded position about the pivot until the arcuate extremity|8d of the members 22, 23 abuts rung 2|, thus positively stopping andsupporting the members in extended position. Other types of hinges mayalso be employed, but we have found that the above described hingeconstruction is well suited for this purpose.

Additional tubular rungs 26, 21 (Fig. 1) are welded to members 22, 23 toform a lower ladder section, these rungs being regularly spaced inrelation to rungs 2| 2|. When the ladder is opened outwardly and swungdown, the lower section falls into alignment with the upper section, asabove described, to constitute a straight ladder projecting into thewater from the side of the boat hull in the manner illustrated (Figs. 1,3).

To the opposite extremities of the member l8, are joined an additionalpair of tubular members 28, 29 (Figs. 1, 6) disposed at right anglesrelative to each other: inia plane normal tothat of the ladder and asimilar pair of members 28, 29 is joined to the opposite extremities ofmember l9. The members 28, 29, constituting each pair, are joined toeach other, and to their junction is welded a perforated plate 3| whichserves to ":secure by pins 3Ia, the lugs 3lb of oneof the ends of eachof the supporting cables'32, .33. The other end of cable 32, which isdesigned to prevent the door 13 from overswinging and to hold the ladderbase at an easily ascendableangle,- is secured to a plate 36 (Figs. 1,6) in the boats hull within the opening ll; while the other end ofcable.33 is secured to a fasteningplate 35 .onthe lower extremities ofmembers 2 2,223. These cables, as thus supported and secured, 'serve ashandrails to assist the boarder? of .the boat and also to afiord meansby which the ladder maybe pulled up from within the .boat to retract itafter boarding. Cables 33 also prevent shock on'the hinge fittings [8b,the, ltd andzla when the door is openedout and the .ladder'drops"downand also eases the strain on the ladder during boarding.

When the boat is to be launched, the ladder is in retractedpositionandfolded upas shown in Fig. 6. 'Meansare provided, after .the boat islaunched, to enable a person in the water to releasethe ladder-assumingthat the boat is unoccupied. This is accomplished by a release cable 31(Figs.-1, 2, 3, 4) along the water level of the boat, which can begrasped by a person in the the after. end thereof .in afixedpositionnear the stem. The forward. end of the cable, is broughtthrough. .the eye-brackets 33a, into the aperture 38' in the skin .ofthe hull and. about the pulley.39 (Fig. 4) above which the. cable isrotatably secured between two release control plates 48. To the oppositesidesof these plates are'a-lso rotatably secured three separate corded I4,2, 43. 1 4! represents a tension. cord orspring the function'of whichis to. hold cable 3'! in tension, but yet allow it and the plates ii) tobe'drawn downward upon a strong pullon the .cable "3'1. The thin cord43, itself, extendingabout apulley 44, leadsto arm 45a of a bell crank,the other arm45b of which engages a slot in a latch 45 spring presseddownwardlyto hold door i3 closed (Figs. 2 and 4). Upon downward pull oncord 43, the spring 'held latch 45 is raised to unlock the door andpermit the ladder to fall out. 42 .is a stop-cord having slack which,when .taken upby downward movement of plates 40, prevents theapplication to cable 4.3 of more pull than is required to release latch45.

Opening 38 in the hull through Whichcable 37 passes is covered with astreamlined but slightly skewed plate 48 (Fi sfll, 11) which serves-asone of thebearing supports for .the axle'tda or. the pulley 39, othersupport.being a bracket 3% mounted on the deck 390, or other convenientplace. The'pulley is thus ,in a plane which isinclined to guide cable 31from. the outside to 211 inside of the hull. The cable 3? encounters nosubstantial friction at the opening 38, most of the direct contact beingmade on the rotatable pulley 39 itself.

5 While the boats roll and gravity might be relied'upon to drop theladder into the water after the. latch is, released by pulling on cable3! as r-.-aboveidescribed, we prefer to insure this result by providinga heavy spring plunger 16 (Figs. 2,

14 4, 5) within the hull, the ramming end of which plunger abuts a smallplate 47 secured on the inside of andnear the hinged base of the doorl3. This plunger 55 forces the door outwardly -soonas the latch i5 isreleased. The door swings ,on its hinges i5, it, about 170 into openposi- 1tion .and the lower section of the ladder drops down in alignmentwith the upper section as pre- "viously stated. The boat is then easilyboarded by.-.p ersons in the water. A cable 32 may, of course, beprovided forward as well as aft of -the, opening Ii.

vAfter boarding the boat, the person may re- Ltrieve the ladder bysimply reaching over the gunwale, pulling up the door and folding the.25 .lower section of the ladder back in retracted posi- ..tion..The1door. l3 and associated apparatus are thenslammed intothe recess .5i in the boats hull .and thereby relatched. Mechnical means may vbe.provided, if desired, for retracting the ladder.

.Thedropping of theladder may also be ei ffected from Within the boat byreleasing the latch '45 manually.

..In the preferred embodiment of our invention, except for steel cables,all parts including tubu- .larelements, plates, attaching pieces hingesare, made of aluminum alloy, so that the apparatus is light in weightand easy to draw up. The braced door is ordinarilyconstructed of thesame material as the boats hull.

.While the adaptation of our invention dc scribed. above is specificallyfor a lifeboat, it obvious that it may likewise be adapted toaa-nyvehicle to facilitate boarding and where ,ability to. retract-theapparatus completely within .thevehicles body in streamlined fashion isdesirable.

We claim:

:l..-.A ladder adaptedto'fit into an opening in the hull of a vehiclewhen retracted and, when released, to open outwardly therefrom to permitascension-thereof, comprising a door :fitting said opening which, inclosed position,-blends with the contour of said hull, hinge meanssecuring oneedge of said door to the-lower edge of the opening in saidhull and permitting the .doorto swing outwardly, a first ladder sectionsecuredon the inside of said door in a position to provide for ascensionwhen the door is;swung 'down to full open position, said first laddersec- .tion-havinga pair of side bars and at least one rung in thevicinity of the lower extremities .of the-side bars in open position,apexed side supports disposed in planes normal to that of the first;ladder section and secured to the opposite extremities of each of saidsidebars, a second ladder-section-pivotable in the vicinity of saidlower rungand having side bars spaced apart less than the distancebetween the side bars of thesaid .first ladder section whereby in closedposition the second ladder section may be folded up and laidsubstantially parallel to said first ladder section, rungs on saidsecond ladder section, and flexible means extending between pointsinsideof said opening to the apexes .of each of the said side supportsand further extending between said apexes and the lower extremities ofsaid second ladder section, whereby said articulated ladder may besupported at an angle to a vertical plane passing through said vehicleand is provided with hand-assisting means for ascension.

2. The ladder as described in claim 1 wherein means are provided forlocking the door within the hull and a spring plunger is provided withinthe opening, constantly urging the door outward.

3. The ladder as described in claim 2 wherein there is provided acable-like member for releasing the door lock accessible both fromWithin and Without the hull.

4. In combination with the ladder as described in claim 2 wherein thevehicle is a boat and the hull is provided with an orifice in thevicinity of the water line of the boat, a cable-like member forreleasing the door lock which member is extended through said orificeand along said water line whereby when the boat is waterbourne that partof the cable-like member extending along the water line serves as agrab-line as well as a means for releasing the door lock.

5. A ladder as described in claim 1 wherein the pivoting of said secondladder section is accomplished by providing pin in each side bar of thefirst ladder section in the vicinity of the lower rung and parallel tosaid rung, lugs to receive said pins adjacent each pivoting extremity ofthe side bars of the second ladder section and arcuately shapedextremities to conform with part of the perimeter of said lower rung,whereby when said second ladder section has pivoted to approximatealignment with the first ladder section, the arcuate extremities of thesecond ladder section engage the lower rung of the first ladder sectionto prevent further swinging beyond said position of alignment.

ANTHONY J. MORENO.

CYRIL L. FENN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 377,219 Webster Jan. 31, 18882,095,392 Marschke Oct. 12, 1937 2,453,937 Ray Nov. 16, 1948 2,531,263Fink Nov. 21, 1950

